Method of producing profiled sections from sheet metal by rolling



E. PENKALA Jan. 31, 1939.

METHOD OF PRODUCING PROFILED SECTIONS FROM SHEET METAL BY ROLLING 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 19, 1937 Jan. 31, 1939. E, PE 2,145,526

METHOD OF PRODUCING PROFILED SECTIONS, FROM SHEET METAL BY ROLLING Filed June 19, 1957 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Zfi .26

Jan. 31, 1939. E P KALA 2,145,526

METHOD OF PRODUCING FROFILED SECTIONS FROM SHEET METAL BY ROLLING Filed June 19, 1957 I 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Jan. 31, 1939. E. PENKALA 2,145,526

METHOD OF PRODUCING PROFILED SECTIONS FROM SHEET METAL BY ROLLING Filed June 19, 1957 e Sheets-Sheet 4 Jan, 33, 193%. E. PENKALA 2,14552@ METHOD OF PRODUCING PROFILED SECTIONS FROM SHEET METAL BY ROLLING Filed June 19, 1957 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 E. PENKALA 2,145,52fi METHOD OF PRODUCING PROFILED SECTIONS FROM SHEET METAL BY ROLLING Jim. 3 L WEE.

I 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed June 19, 1957 Patented Jan. 31, 1939 METHOD OF PRODUCING P'ROFILED SEC- TIONS FROM SHEET METAL BY ROLLING Emil Penkala, London, England, assignor of onehalf to Metal Trim Limited, London, England,

a British company Application June 19, 1937, Serial No. 149,216 In Great Britain June 29, 1936 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for producing profiled sections from sheet metal or metal strips by rolling.

In the multiple pass rolling machines heretofore proposed and used, the lower rollers are disposed with their axes in a horizontal plane and only the upper rollers are adjustable for varying the pressure of the rollers on the work. In forming profiled sections in such machines there is usually a stretching action at the edges or other parts of the material as it is bent or folded over in travelling from the fiat state to the first pair of rollers and from pass to pass. This stretching action results in a corrugated or like malformation of the marginal or other parts of the section and it is very difficult to eliminate such corrugation or malformation in subsequent operations. The primary reason for this corrugation or malformation is that in the usual machines the lower rollers are in a horizontal plane, and the material is constrained to follow an unnatural course during the sequence of operations, whereby, owing to the horizontal disposition, the stretched parts are subjected to a shortening action which results in the formation of corrugations. For instance, in turning up limbs at the edges of a strip the tendency of the bent material is to bend downwardly to some extent in relation to its previous plane of travel and it is the resistance imposed to this tendency by the usual fixed arrangement of rollers that results in the corrugation or malformation.

The present invention has among its objects to provide an improved method whereby the defect referred to is obviated and generally toprovide improvements in method and apparatus whereby profiled sections of any desired form may be produced with the expenditure of less power and less strain on the bearings and other parts of the machine and whereby it is also possible to produce a profiled section with the employment of fewer passes than necessary in the machines heretofore employed.

According to the present invention, the improved method of producing profiled sections from sheet metal or metal strip by rolling consists in passing the material between pairs of successive suitably profiled rollers arranged so that the material is received thereby and allowed to travel substantially in the direction naturally assumed in accordance with the particular profiling operation.

The invention furthermore includes the improved method of producing profiled sections from sheet metal or metal strip by rolling which consist in passing the material through a series of pairs of rollers certain or all of which are arranged out of a horizontal or common plane to which the Vertical centre line of each pair of rollers is perpendicular. Preferably the arrangement is such that in passing through the series of rollers the material takes a continuous path in relation to such horizontal plane although the angle of such path may vary from pass to pass.

The invention also includes the method which comprises feeding the material between one pair of profiled rolls, setting the next pair of rolls to receive the material without any substantial bending strain thereon, adjusting successive pairs of rolls in a similar manner so that the material, after travelling from pass to pass through the machine, as far as possible takes a natural path according to the nature of the successive profiling operations.

According to the invention, moreover, apparatus for carrying out the methods hereinbefore specified comprises a series of pairs of rollers certain or all of which pairs are mounted in such manner that their position may be adjusted vertically in relation to the adjacent pairs of rollers. Preferably all the pairs of rollers are adjustably mounted in order to facilitate the setting up of the machine for the production of any particular profiled section. For the purpose of facilitating ready adjustment of the rollers, the upper roller spindles are carried in bearings the housings of which are slidable vertically in guides in the usual manner, and the lower rollers are likewise mounted, the position of the housings thereof being adjusted, for instance, by means of a screw having a capstan wheel or the like at its lower end for its rotation.

According to a further feature of the invention, the brackets or pedestals in which the bearing housings are guided and located may be adjustable transversely of the machine to accommodate roller spindles of various lengths, and the drive to the roller spindles is transmitted through telescopically adjustable members connected to the roller spindles and to the respective driving spindles through universal swivelling couplings. Such provision for accommodating different lengths of spindles enables the diameter and of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:--

Figure 1 is a part sectional side elevation of a portion of a metal rolling machine according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-section on the line IIII of Figure 1, showing part of the telescopic connection by which the rolls are driven from driving gear mounted on a separate bed;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the driving gear showing the remaining part of the driving connection;

Figure 4 is a plan view partly in section corresponding to Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a plan view of part of the machine assembly drawn to a smaller scale;

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic side elevation illustrating the arrangement of successive pairs of rolls out of the horizontal plane or plane in which the material is initially fed;

Figure 7 is a perspective view ilustrating the manner in which corrugations are formed in the material when constrained to follow a straight path; and

Figure 8 is a perspective view showing how such corrugations are eliminated by allowing the material to take its natural path.

In carrying the invention into effect according to one embodiment and with reference more particularly to Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, a long flat bed I isprovided on which pairs of brackets or pedestals 2 are mounted for the support of the pairs of roller spindles 3, 4, such brackets or pedestals 2 being fastened to the bed I by means of bolts 5 engaging transverse T slots la in the top of the bed I whereby the adjustment of the brackets or pedestals 2 transversely of the bed to accommodate roller spindles 3, 4 of different lengths is facilitated.

In order to reduce the time necessary for setting up the machine for the production of any particular profiled section, the pairs of brackets or pedestals 2, together with the roller spindles 3, 4 and the appropriate rollers, are preferably assembled on a separate bench and the unit structure so formed is then transferred and lowered into position on the bed I. In order to facilitate the correct positioning of the unit central with respect to the longitudinal centre line of the bed I, and also with the roller spindles disposed in planes at right angles to such axis, the brackets or pedestals 2 are connected together at the bottom by a cross-piece 6 secured thereto by means of bolts 6?) and having a central bridge portion 6a shaped to engage over a longitudinally disposed centering bar Ib fixed to the bed I. As shown more especially in Figure 1, the crosspiece 6 is provided with inclined sides 50 adapted to engage correspondingly inclined sides of transverse recesses I c in the bed I. The unit so located on the bed I is then secured by the bolts 5 before referred to.

The pairs of roller spindles 3, 4 may be arranged in groups, for instance of three (as shown in Figure 5) each group, together with its drive, forming a unit whereby a machine embodying three, six, nine, twelve, or any desired multiple of passes, may be readily built up.

The brackets or pedestals 2 may be of substantially U formation, as shown in Figure 1, with the inner vertical edges 2a shapedto provide guides for the bearing housings 3a, 4a of the respective roller spindles 3, 4. The housings 3a of the upper roller spindle 3, which are thus adjustable vertically in the usual manner, are held against upward movement by means of screw adjusting means 3b extending through and co-acting with a cross-piece 2b fixed to the top of each bracket or pedestal 2. The housings 4a of the lower roller spindle 4 are likewise adjustable vertically on the guides and are raised and lowered by the provision of screws 42) each of which co-operates with a threaded sleeve 40 slidable in a boss 20 in a cross-piece 2d in the lower part of the bracket or pedestal 2. Each screw 4b is provided at the lower end with a capstan wheel 4d or equivalent means, for its rotation and engages at its lower end a thrust block 40 (Figure 2) and at its upper part abuts against the housing 411 of the lower roller spindle 4. The roller spindles 3, 4 preferably are supported in self-aligning roller bearings 1 in the housings 3a, 4a and are provided with keys 3], 4 or keyways and with clamping and lock nuts 3g, 3h and 4g, 4h respectively for securing the profiled rollers thereon. Each of the lower roller spindles 4 (or, if desired, of the upper roller spindles) is connected by means of a telescopically adjustable driving member to a short driving spindle 8 transversely arranged in a gear casing 9 which conveniently is mounted on a separate bed It] disposed parallel with the bed I. The telescopically adjustable driving member comprises a shaft I2 and a sleeve I2a, the shaft I2 having keyways I2b or the equivalent to co-operate with pins or keys in the sleeve I2a. The outer end of the sleeve I2a is split and provided with a tapered thread portion I20 (Figure 5) and with a clamping nut IZd by which the split portion of the sleeve may be clamped around the shaft I2. The shaft I2 may be connected to the roller spindle 4 by means of a ball or other universal swivel coupling I2e, while the sleeve I2a is likewise connected to the spindle 8 of the driving gear by a ball or other universal coupling I21. One of the couplings I2e or I2 1 is formed with slots I2g (Figure 3) engaging a cross-pin I2h in the cooperating part of the coupling so that by a simple axial movement the telescopic driving member may be removed from engagement with the spindle 8.

The upper and lower roller spindles 3, 4 of each pair are geared together by means of gears 32', 42 disposed on their respective spindles, the gear 42' conveniently being mounted on a sleeve portion of the respective universal coupling I2e. The driving spindles 8 are geared together by spur or other gears 8a and one of the driving spindles of each group, preferably the middle one, is extended for the mounting of a bevel gear wheel I3 which is in mesh with a bevel driving pinion I4 mounted on a shaft I5 extending longitudinally of the machine and thus, from this shaft I5, any number of groups or units may be driven. The shaft I5 advantageously is in sections connected by dog clutch or other suitable couplings Mia and is driven from a suitable motor (not shown) through a reducing gear box I6 and friction coupling IT. The arrangement of the rolling units and the driving gear therefor in groups, as shown in Figure 5, and the provision of a main driving shaft I5 in sections, renders it possible to put out of action when required a substantial part of the gearing and driving connections which, in the case of simple sections produced by a small number of passes would not be required. The utilization of telescopic driving members I2, I2a, in combination with the roller spindle supporting brackets or pedestals 2, ad-

justable transversely on the bed I, renders it possible to use roller spindles of as short a length as possible for each roller. Thus, in every case, the roller spindle may be supported close up to the ends of the roller and the use of very heavy roller spindles to withstand bending stresses is thereby eliminated.

Figure 6 shows diagrammatically the arrangement of the successive pairs of roller spindles 3, t which, instead of being disposed so that the material travels along an axis l8 coinciding with the plane in which it is initially fed, are permitted to follow an is which may be inclined or curved either continuously or irregularly in an upward and/or downward direction according to the profiled section being produced and the direction of the path which the material tends to follow at the exit from each pass. In the case, for example, of the formation of a simple angle section 29 from a fiat strip, it is clear that if the material is fed along the axis i3 and during and after the bending operation between rollers is constrained to move along the same axis, then stretching of the edges of the strip results and consequently corrugations 29a are formed. If, however, as shown in Figure 8, the material emerging from the profiled rollers is permitted to take its natural path along the axis 29, the formation of the corrugations Etla by stretching of the edges of the strip will be eliminated For different profiled sections the angle between the axes i3 and it obviously may vary considerably and also may vary from pass to pass; for instance, with some more compli cated sections, the axis is may first take a downward path in relation to the horizontal axis l8 and in subsequent passes the downward inclination of the axis iii may vary and eventually may become horizontal or even upwardly inclined. ihe particular setting of the successive pairs of rolls for the production of any profiled section is, at least in the first place, determined experimentally by causing the material to pass through one pair of rolls and then setting the next pair so that the material may engage therebetween without any substantial bending thereof out of its natural path.

Apart from the avoidance of corrugations, which in the ordinary way are extremely diflicult to eliminate, the arrangement of successive pairs of rolls so as to avoid straining the material out of the path which it tends to follow owing to the profiling operation in the preceding pair of rolls, ensures that the various parts of the machine are subjected to the minimum stresses and consequently it is possible to employ parts of very much lighter construction than heretofore and also to produce profiled sections with an expenditure of considerably less power than in the known machines.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment hereinbefore described. For example, the gearing in the driving mechanism may be varied in any desired manner and the driving spindles, arranged at a suitably higher level, may be connected to the upper roller spindles 3 instead of to the lower roller spindles i. Furthermore, if desired, the gearing on the roller spindles may be dispensed with and both upper and lower roller spindles t may be connected to separate driving shafts through telescopically adjustable driving elements as described. For light profiled sections the roller spindles may be adapted to receive rollers at the outer or front side of the brackets or pedestals 2, while the latter may be constructed, arranged and mounted in various Ways and may be otherwise constructed and provided for the vertically adjustable mounting of the lower and of the upper roller spindles.

Furthermore, it will be understood that in the case more particularly of machines designed spe cially to produce certain sections, one or more of the lower rollers may be fixedly located in the usual manner, only certain of the lower rollers being arranged out of the horizontal plane or being adjustable vertically in the manner described, the arrangement in all cases being such that the material in travelling through the machine can take the path of least resistance, i. e. the path which it naturally tends to take in accordance with. the particular profiled section.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In the production by rolling from metal strip of profiled sections having at least one angular bend extending along the length of the strip, the method which consists in passing the strip between successive pairs of vertically aligned rollers suitably profiled to perform stages in the formation of the profiled section and arranged in line but offset from a horizontal plane so that the material is received by said successive pairs of rollers and allowed to travel substantially in the direction naturally assumed in accordance with the particular profiling operation.

2. A method for the production from metal strip of profiled sections having at least one angular bend extending continuously along the length of the strip by passing the strip through a plurality of pairs of profile rollers arranged in line with all pairs but the first pair oiTset from the plane of the entering strip, comprising feeding the material between one pair of profiled rolls, setting the next pair of rolls to receive the material without any substantial bending strain thereon, adjusting successive pairs of rolls in a similar manner so that the material, in travelling from pass to pass through the machine, as far as possible takes a natural path according to the nature of the successive profiling operations.

3. A method for changing the cross-sectional shape of relatively inflexible strip material by bending it laterally along a continuous longitudinal line with two adjoined pairs of profiling rolls all of which have substantially parallel axes, comprising the steps of feeding it through one pair of the rolls while simultaneously profiling it in such manner as to tend to change its direction of travel in a plane perpendicular to the axes of the rolls, permitting it to pass freely toward the second pair arranging the second pair to receive the oncoming end of the strip without forcing it materially out of its path of travel naturally assumed upon emergence from the first pair and while it is still engaged by said first pair, and causing it to travel through said second pair.

4. A method for changing the cross-sectional shape of relatively inflexible strip material by bending it laterally along at least one continuous longitudinal line with two or more pairs of profiling rolls disposed in series for a continuous operation on the material, comprising the steps of feeding the strip substantially horizontally into and through a first pair of rolls; arranging the second pair of the series in vertically offset relation to the horizontal plane of the entering ous operation on the material comprising the steps of first, passing a test strip of the material through the first pair of rolls of the series to discover its natural path of emergence therefrom, adjusting the second set of rolls to place their receiving point in the path so discovered, doing likewise with as many additional pairs of rolls as are selected for the particular complete profiling operation, and then feeding strip material through the combined pairs of 10 properly positioned rolls.

EMIL PENKALA. 

